Lane students testify before state legislators

Lane student-lobbyists traveled to the Capitol to testify on behalf of a bill that would guarantee students’ access to voter registration Feb. 19.

Senate Bill 1581 would require every institution of higher learning to give their school’s student government and any officially recognized student group an opportunity to provide voter registration services on campus.

Associated Students of Lane Community College Vice President Anayeli Jimenez and ASLCC State Affairs Director Sara Shepherd testified before state lawmakers.

Associate Dean of Student Affairs Barb Delansky complimented Jimenez and Shepherd for their strong testimony, which she said was particularly difficult due to grilling from an unnamed Republican state senator.

“They represented well,” Delansky said.

Shepherd said testifying before the legislator Feb. 19 was a considerably different experience for her compared to when she testified about financial aid disbursements earlier this month.

“There was definitely some grilling going on,” Shepherd said, “but we had answers.”

Jimenez encouraged other students to lobby their representatives in the future.

“It’s definitely an experience to speak out on behalf of students,” Jimenez said.

The bill is sponsored by one state senator and six state representatives at the request of the Oregon Student Association.